Natasha to be part of games (From Cotswold Journal)
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Natasha to be part of games
5:00pm Saturday 23rd June 2012 in News
EXCITED: Natasha Worton in her Games Maker uniform.
A WOMAN who came to England after working with a Vale charity in Eastern Europe will be mixing with the best athletes on the planet at the Olympics.
Natasha Worton, aged 31, has been selected as a Games Maker and will be part of a legion of support workers who will help ensure the Olympics run smoothly when they get underway next month.
Natasha, originally from Belarus, will use her language skills to act as an interpreter at the Games, specifically working with Russian-speaking athletes and dignitaries.
“I am very excited about it; it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.
“I feel proud and privileged to be there,” she said.
“I will be working with athletes and various dignitaries from the IOC and similar groups. I will be living near London for the duration of the games as I need to be closer to work my shifts.
“I have undergone a lot of training where I was told all about what I would be doing and the importance of the Olympics and its message. I can’t wait to get started.”
Natasha grew up in west Belarus near the border with Poland but now lives in Offenham with husband Steve. They met when lorry driver Steve was on a mercy mission to Belarus with the charity Chernobyl 2000 which was founded by his parents Mike and Mo.
He delivered a lorry load of aid to the hospital where Natasha was working as a translator and they hit it off.
After keeping in touch via email, the relationship blossomed when Natasha brought a party of children to Evesham as part of the charity’s work.
She eventually moved to Evesham and they were married on January 29, 2005.
Natasha said: “I had graduated from a linguistic university in Minsk and was working with children suffering from cancer at the hospital when the aid mission came along. Since then my life has changed a lot.
The work that the charity does is incredible. They are wonderful people.”
• The Olympics runs from July 27 to August 12 and the Olympic torch relay comes to Evesham on Sunday, July 1.
